Danny Yoo schrieb:

> 
> The conceptual problem you might be running into is seeing '=' and
> thinking it means math equality.  If so, be careful: it's not!
> 
> If this is what you're running into when you see something like:
> 
>     x = 42
> 
> 
> then you need to think of it more like
> 
>     x <---------------- 42
> 
>   
> 
Hi, Danny!

I have a different model in my mind, when I see something like this.
I think of a name attached to, or pointing to some object. In this case the
object is the number 42. So I think more like

      x ----------------->  42

Now, when I see x, I know I have to think of the object behind x,
the object which is named x.

 > >> a = 25001
 > >> b = a
 > >> b is a
1  # (or, in Python 2.3: True)

So this, for me, means: the object named a is the same as the
one named b.

This lets me better understand, what's going on, if I start to change
objects, (which of course is not possible with a number).

I prefer -  from the beginning - to use a model , which I don't need to 
change
when new things appear or have to be done.

These are simply two different points of view, I think ...

Best regards,
Gregor

> That is, imagine a big honking arrow that pushes a value into a name,
> 
So my big honking arrow pushes a name onto an object (for instance a value)
taking this name off another object, if it incidentally has been
used for one earlier.

Moreover I can easily think of attaching two (or more) names to an object;
much easier than pushing an object (a value) into two (ore more) names


> squeezing out the old value in the process.  The technical term for this
> is "assignment".  Some folks are too dignified to use the big honking
> arrow, and will write it out on paper like this:
> 
>     x <- 42
> 
> 
> And some computer languages do allow this kind of notation, which more
> clearly shows that what we're doing isn't symmetric at all: we're pushing
> stuff from the right hand side into the left hand side.  Unfortunately,
> Python only uses the '=' notation to assign values to variable names, so
> you have to use '=', even though it might look visually disturbing.
> 
> I don't know if this is the assignment issue is the thing that you're
> getting caught on, but if so, I hope the explanation helps a little.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>   
> 
> >print result
> >
> ># The result is given as 20 which I think is wrong. Is there anything
> ># wrong with my mathematical logic or my function?
> >    
> >
> 
> Math logic.  *grin*
> 
> The GCD of 100 and 20 is supposed to be 20. GCD(a,b) is the greatest
> number that will divide both 'a' and 'b' evenly, and 20 fits that criteria
> perfectly.
> 
> 
> Hope this helps!
> 
> 
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> 
> 
>   
> 





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